Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Paris grades D overall, ranked 122nd of 142 in Maine, mostly because of schools. Its public schools trail 87% of Maine towns on state tests and graduation. It also has a long history, with 8 places on the National Register. Only 28 of Maine’s 285 towns score lower on cost of living. Its National Register listings include McLaughlin House and Garden and Paris Hill Historic District. 60% of households own their home in Paris, below both Maine’s towns (81%) and U.S. towns (73%).
Where Paris beats most towns.
Census counts: 844 in 1800, 5,179 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1795 and a map from 1986 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Paris is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Paris, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Paris.
Paris trades workers with Auburn and other neighbors, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
Its public schools are run by RSU 17/MSAD 17. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford Hills Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 479 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
Paris beats the Maine average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Paris.
| Paris | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Paris | ME |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.8% | 14.8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 14.2% | 10.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.9% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Paris since 2010.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
62.3% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.4% across Maine.
The typical Paris home is worth about $322,000, up 3.2% in a year, 22% below the Maine typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Paris has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Paris’ July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
15 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Cornwall Nature Preserve, at 142 acres.
| Paris | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cornwall Nature Preserve | — | 142 |
| 2. Whitney | — | 23 |
| 3. Dennis Rugg Sports Complex | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Maine has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Paris sits closer to the middle.
| Paris | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Paris has about as many jobs (2,508) as working residents, but only 394 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Paris for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Paris grew to 2,508 in 2023, 506 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Paris is 22 minutes.
| Paris | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 12% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Maine average. 16% of Paris residents are under 18. Paris has grown 4.5% since 2020, to 5,409 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Paris | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.2 years | 44.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 16% | 18% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 21% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.9 points. Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Paris | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.5% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.3% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.7% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.8% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.2% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.3% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.3% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.2% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.1% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.8% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.1% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.9% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.8% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Paris. Close and well known come first.
34 mi Scenic railwayConway Scenic Railroad
36 mi Theme parkStory Land24 mi Ski areaSunday River146 runs · 2,322 ft vertical39 mi Ski areaAttitash Mountain Resort85 runs · 1,662 ft vertical
33 mi Ski areaCranmore Mountain Resort60 runs · 1,127 ft vertical
37 mi Ski areaWildcat Mountain50 runs · 2,026 ft verticalConway Scenic Railroad: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Story Land: AnotherMaker, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cranmore Mountain Resort: Davidafranklin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wildcat Mountain: Ken Gallager at en.wikipedia, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Paris
About 5 of every 100 Paris residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maine.
8 places in Paris on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Paris.
Town in Maine, United States
Paris is a town in and the county seat of Oxford County, Maine, United States. Paris is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England City and Town Area. The population was 5,179 at the 2020 census. The census-designated place of South Paris is located within the town. Because the U.S. Post Office refers to the entire town as South Paris, the town as a whole is commonly referred to as South Paris. The main exception is the area known as Paris Hill, which is a scenic historic district popular with tourists. On May 30, 2019, the town declared itself to be a second amendment sanctuary.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Paris.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | #122 | D | C− | B | D | C |
| Norway | #133 | D | B− | B | D | D |
| South Paris | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hebron | — | — | B− | — | D | B− |
| West Paris | — | — | C+ | — | D | C− |
| Oxford | #132 | D | B | C− | D | C− |
| Buckfield | — | — | B | — | D | B− |
Hebron, West Paris and Buckfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Hebron, West Paris and Buckfield report no FBI crime data of their own. South Paris isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Paris with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Paris grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #122 of 142 in Maine. It grades C for health, B for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Maine has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Paris sits nearer the middle.
Yes. That is 5.3 years of the area's median household income ($60,173 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
9 notable people were born here, including Hannibal Hamlin and Horatio King.
